The Quilts From Over The Years

 Grandma Lu had been outside attempting to help her husband get her car out of a snow bank to no avail. Her husband could take her to town in his truck until the snow melted. Now as she snuggled under her Chief's blanket in her rocking chair, she couldn't help but smile. "This little scrap of a blanket wouldn't have kept me warm when I was a child, that's for sure. Our old farmhouse was drafty and the bedrooms upstairs were darn right cold!" She chuckled out loud when she remembered her brother complaining about seeing his footprints on the steps because the steps were covered with frost. Yes we did need quilts to keep us warm but the quilts that my grandmother made were so heavy because they were made out of old winter coats that she saved year after year. The menfolk wore them to shreds, but she was so very frugal that even the scraps were of value for making quilts. Of course, she didn't have a sewing machine. All of her quilting was hand stitched. I can see those old quilts now. The different pieces of coats were stitched together with yarn and some looked like embroidery thread. There were pieces of velvet there were so very soft. They were probably made from children's coats that were threadbare. Other pieces were made of corduroy. Those pieces were soft too, but some were not nice to lay my little hands on. They were like a bad joke. They made you think they were soft and nice to cuddle up to because they looked like lamb's wool, but in fact they were harsh and scratchy. I never did see the back side of those old quilts. If I did I sure don't remember them. However, I do remember one special night when my sister who was twelve years older than me came home from a date.

My bedtime was when my parents told me it was. It was generally about eight o'clock because the school bus came at seven in the morning so I needed to get out of bed at least by six o'clock if not earlier.

This particular night it was so very cold outside. An Iowa typical winter night of low to below zero weather. I had sat on my mama's lap and said my prayers. The dining room was cozy and warm because that is where the coal stove was. She kissed me goodnight and said, "Now hop up to bed. Love you!" I did as I was told. As I climbed up the stairs the air became colder and colder. I hurried and crawled under those heavy quilts. It was so cold, but soon the sheets warmed up and I was so very comfortable and went sound to sleep.

 I woke up hours later to my sister saying, "Lu Anne, wake up and move over. You are on my side of the bed." In my sleep I did what I was told only to realize that my sister had tricked me into moving over to the cold side of the bed by the window which usually let in a bit of a breeze. I yelled at her and said, "It's cold over here! You are mean." To this day I can hear her chuckle. "Well you shouldn't have slept on my side of the bed." 

As Grandma Lu got out of her rocking chair she shook her head. "We laughed over that for years. That's what happens when a six year old has an eighteen year old for a sister that had to share a bed."

She walked into her bedroom and looked at the quilt that was hanging proudly by a wooden ribbon quilt holder. She felt the fabric and shook her head. This quilt would always hang as a reminder how things change over the years. Her mother had made this quilt while waiting for her baby girl to arrive. It was eighty-two years old. The backing was threadbare, but the top was perfect. Of course, she didn't know that she would be having a baby girl, so she used soft green and yellow and white fabric with a little bit of rust just in case it was a boy. It was soft with age and wear. It too was hand stitched.  The stitches were so very small and even. Perfect, but the world wasn't. World War II was raging. What was her mother thinking while she was working on this quilt? Was she worried? Did she even have a radio to hear the news? What kind of heat did she have in that old farm house that both she and I grew up in? What was it like? She told me lots of stories, but there are still so many more questions unanswered.

A Tube Fire Escape And A Little Girl In The Dead Of Winter

 Grandma Lu found herself walking aimlessly from her living room to the kitchen glancing out the windows to see if she saw any snowflakes fall. She loved the age of electronics and had many little gadgets about her home. She could see the temperature outside and the Echos all seemed to be telling her the same thing; the weather forecasters seemed to be right!

She and her husband and most of the folks in her small town had been hearing the same thing; a big snow storm was on its way. "Years ago I moved from my home state to have warmer weather. What do I get? A snow storm. They are saying 6-14" Well, six inches is a lot better than fourteen inches. Mercy. I told my husband to make sure we have a shovel and ice melt by the door so we could get out if we needed to without breaking  a hip or worse.. Oh how I hate cold weather anymore. I wonder if he got back up propane and we had better let the water drip in the sinks and open up the cupboard doors tonight before we go to bed. Oh look at that temperature drop! Seven degrees! Good grief. They are saying below zero tonight. Might as well live in the Dakotas or Iowa for this terrible cold weather."

Grandma Lu found herself going to her little room she called a pantry, but it didn't have food in it. They used it for storage of things they never used. "Someday I am going to throw away half of this stuff. Oh where did I put the candles and the oil for the oil lamps? Oh here it is. Half full. Well, that's better than nothing."

She walked back to the living room and sat down in her comfy old rocking chair. She looked out the window and there they were; snow flakes. She looked at her little gadget and thought, "Boy, my dad would have loved these gadgets. He loved radios. I swear he had one in every size and shape. Oh no. Fran! Look it is below zero already and I can barely see across the road."

"Well, there is nothing I can do to change Mother Nature's mind about this so I might as well sit here in my chair and enjoy the beauty of it all. She remembered Marleewood and how she and B used to go there all the time and she would tell stories and have such fun. Marleewood was closed now, but she had decided to write down some of her stories on her computer. Oh how her mother would have loved a computer. Well, her mother's cousin's granddaughter had read her story about mud pies and had mentioned the old tube style fire escapes on a school that she had attended. "I think our whole family went to that school. I remember those fire escapes too. They were such fun. On fire drill days we would slide down them to the outside playground to be safe from the Pretend Fire.

 "Oh my goodness. I remember when I was in first grade. I remember Rosemary. She was such a pretty little girl. She had really dark hair and it was always fixed in long curls. That was the style in those days. Oh it was so cold that day. We were all out for recess. There were snow flakes falling that day too, only they weren't pretty. They were little and the wind made your face hurt when they hit you. The temperature was way  below zero, but the teachers thought it was good for us to be outside for a bit every day. Some of us thought it was too cold and started to gather closer to the school house where the fire escape was to get out of the wind. I can see Rosemary plain as day reach out with her tongue to gather up some snowflakes that were on that fire escape. Then she started screaming, but she didn't move! Oh mercy what a commotion. Her tongue was stuck to that fire escape!

Teachers started gathering around her It seemed like forever when one came running to her with a cloth and a bowl of hot water and kept dabbing at her tongue and shushing her to quit screaming and squirming. Oh my what a day that was. The teachers finally got her loose and we were all made to get in a straight line and get back into the school. Each teacher I am sure gave their class the same lecture. Don't ever put your tongue on a freezing piece of metal!

Grandma Lu smiled as she remembered that little girl as she grew up. She had the most beautiful singing voice. At a school music special when she was a teenager she sang a solo. The song was called  Orange Colored Sky. A most memorable performance to last so many years later.

She looked out the window and thought, "I hope that snowblower works after all these years. I think he is going to need it."

Mud Muffins With A Bit Of Magic

 Grandma Lu was sitting in her rocking chair looking at the light rain falling. She noticed that the rain was making a pool of water around the drain spout next to the front porch. She smiled thinking about her mother. "I've sure been thinking about you lately, Mom. I guess because you were such a bright light in my life during the holidays when I was young. Well, even when I was a a young mom you were such fun."

Grandma Lu continued to rock and remember. "Yes, you were a good mama even when you were so very busy baking for the folks in town and for the grocery store. But you always seemed to know when I needed you even though I didn't complain....

Grandma Lu's eyes felt heavy especially listening to her husband's gentle snoring while he napped away the rainy day. She found herself back on the farm by the front porch. She was four years old and her big sister was in high school. She had a brother, but he didn't count much. He was just a baby so he couldn't play with her. She sure wished she had somebody to play with.

She looked out at the yard. There was a tire swing but she was too little to push herself with her feet. She needed to have a grownup like her dad or mom to push her. She needed to get bigger that was all there was to it! 

She looked down at the corner of the porch. There was a puddle of water there by the drain spout. "Must have rained a little bit last night," she thought. She looked around and saw the bench that held the wash pan that her daddy used to wash up before he came in the house from the fields or milking. There was a pitcher of water and a long handled cup for drinking sometimes. On the board below there was some old towels and a can with a piece of soap in it. "Oh there you are; my little muffin tin. I must have forgotten to take you in the house the last time I made some dandelion muffins. I guess today I can make some muffins out of mud. I need a stick and some rocks and a little more dirt."

She got busy and gathered some little rocks together and decided to put them in the bottom of the muffin tins. The rocks were wet and muddy and some of them were so little that they stuck to her hands, so then she washed them in the puddle of water.  She had watched her mama make lots and lots of cinnamon rolls and she always washed her hands a lot. But she had to get some more dirt into the puddle to make a thick dough like her mama did.

She looked up to see her mama standing by the door watching her. "Hi, Mama. Want to play with me? I am making some mud muffins."

Her Mama smiled and said, "Sure grab another little stick for me. I'll help you stir the dough."

Well that she did. She jumped up and grabbed a little branch from the yard and ran back to her mom. She was so excited to have someone to play with. With careful amounts of water and dirt they made six little mud muffins. "All done!" she proclaimed.

"Oh no not yet, little one. You forgot to add some magic to your dough so it will be perfect for all off your pretend company that will eat them."

"Oh my, is that what you do to your cookies and cakes? Do you put magic in them? Is that why people like your baking so much? Show me the magic, Mama. Where is it?"

Her mama chuckled and said, "Okay let's put your muffin tin over here on this tree stump. It is in the sun where it is nice and hot. Does it look like the sun will bake it?"

She nodded her head.  "It is perfect. I just love it. Add the magic, please!"

Her mama smiled and said, "You just did! You added a little bit of love to your muffins, now all of the little creatures in the timber will like your mud muffins.

"Love? Love is magic? You told me that Santa is magic. Is Santa love too?"

"Yes, my dear. Love is magic. You can't see it, but you can feel it and sometimes you can taste it on the food that I make you and that hot cocoa that you say you like. When you get big you can add your own magic in the food that you fix for your family and loved ones."

Grandma Lu woke with a start. The sun was shining now. She shook her head a little bit and thought. "I think I will make a batch of bread and maybe some cinnamon rolls. I haven't done that in a long long time."

She reached into her cupboards and got out the mixing bowl and the yeast and measuring cups. As she grabbed the can of Crisco she smiled and thought, "Yup, I best not forget that little bit of magic. Love you, Mom."

Christmas Memories Continue To Pop Up

 It's the day after Christmas and all through the house is... memories. That's what is in this house. Memories of old and memories today, the day after Christmas that were made just yesterday. I asked one of our guests last night if this time of year brought back memories and she assured me that it did. My husband's brother and wife called us for Christmas yesterday and I told her that it seems the older I get I should be running out of new/old memories, but it doesn't happen that way. This memory is just an example that happened to me Christmas Eve, 2023.

We were expecting company for Christmas Eve and I thought I would put some lipstick on. I don't wear it very often and there's a reason for that. I'm almost out of lipstick. I carry it in my purse in case I want to wear it. You see it is very very old. My mother gave me this lipstick. It was the last gift she gave me for Christmas. I know that you are thinking it's just lipstick. No, it's a Christmas memory.

One day years ago I told my mother that I just loved her lipstick. It was the perfect color and seemed to really compliment her snowy white hair and her blue eyes. Well that Christmas I got a gift that I just loved. A lipstick just like my mother wore. Oh how I loved it. It seemed to change a bit with every outfit I wore. In fact it was a bit strange. It looked good with red, purple, yellow, green; whatever I wore.

Most every year after that I would receive a stick lipstick either for Christmas or for my birthday. Sometimes she would even ask me if I needed some lipstick and would give me hers. I never ran out.

Lipstick was a Christmas memory for my mother that she passed along to us each Christmas. My father and mother were married in the thirties and were very poor. My father decided that he wanted to be a linotype operator, but the school for that was in Minnesota. He hitchhiked there and took the course; leaving my mother and my older sister maybe two little ones at home. I can't remember for sure. If I remember right the course was nine months long. 

Mother lived in a basement house on my grandparent's farm, so she and her children were taken care of as far as food and family.

My father hitchhiked home for Christmas. Now you have to remember the winters in Minnesota and Iowa were cold ones. It came time to open gifts that Mom had made him and from my grandparents and much to my mother's surprise my father had a gift for her. It was a lipstick! It was called Tangee. It was orange and it changed to pink when applied to her lips. That was the only lipstick I can remember her wearing when I was a child. Now it is sold on Ebay! By the way she said I alway cried when she put on lipstick when I was little because I told her that she didn't look like mom. Oh how she loved to tell those stories.

She said that Dad spent his last quarter on that lipstick for her. Now that's poor. But the love!

So getting back to my last stick lipstick which is really way too old to wear, I decided to order myself one from Amazon and finally throw away the one that Mom gave me so many years ago. Much to my surprise there was only one left in stock! I might add that it was ten dollars!  Mercy I ordered it as fast as I could. Hopefully I will be able to wear it a few more times until it too is gone just leaving the Christmas memories and a smile on my face.

This is the last studio picture of my mother and of course, she is wearing "The lipstick!"

A billboard Brought Back Memories Of The Olden Days

 Grandma Lu was getting tired. She had had quite the day. A mouse in the car was the last thing that she needed. Thank goodness her husband had told her to stop and have the auto shop check out her car. Sure enough that mouse had made a nest out of her air filter. She had been driving for about four hours and still had about six hours to go before she got to the Double D Ranch in Texas. She loved that place because her ancestors had owned it from generation to generation. It had a silver mine on it that had caused problems among her family members for years. Some wanted to mine it some did not. She was the last in the line to own it so she had made the decision to make the ranch into a rescue for abused and unwanted horses and other large animals. There was plenty of money in that account to keep it operating for a good many years. 

The big mining company said they had mineral rights to the mine because of a boundary dispute that she thought had been settled years ago. It was that dratted step-brother that had this started all over again. Well it would stop with her and her lawyer and all would be over and done with.

She saw a sign on the road for a filling station and decided to stop and fill up and find a motel for the night.

"Self service gas stations just have never been a good thing in my estimation. Oh when I was a teenager we had what they called full service filling stations. That's just what they were too. Mercy, I remember my best friend's dad would let her drive the car on a weekend night after she got her driver's license. He would write down the mileage and check it when she got home so that he knew she wasn't putting too many miles on his car." She chuckled to herself about those days. "I always had to pay for the gas. Yes, I did. She always knew I had change in the bottom of my purse because I never used my change purse and spent very little of my wages on myself. Change. Yes, change is what was needed to buy gas in those days. I remember so well the man who owned the filling station we went to. It was a Skelly station. That rich oil man Getty fella bought them out if I remember right. You don't see Skelly stations anymore. The man that owned that station's first name was Ray just like my dad.  He wore a uniform and a bow tie and and hat. He would check all the fluids in the car even check the air in the tires if we asked him to. To fill the car up with gas was usually about a dollar. Wow those were the days."

"When he was finished he would put out his hand for his money and off we would go. He never was exactly pleased when my friend would hand him my dimes and nickels and even occasionally some pennies. I remember going inside one time. There was only cans of oil and other stuff for cars and trucks that I never wanted to buy. I can remember dipsticks and funnels and gloves. Exciting stuff. It smelled like gas and oil too. Nowadays there are all kinds of fun things like t-shirts and food, and magazines, even toys for children. That reminds me I need to buy some magazines and some snacks and ask if there is a motel close by. I'm ready to rest for the night."

Grandma Lu paid for her gas with a credit card and pulled her car up to the building so she could buy her things and ask about a motel. As she was looking through the magazines she shook her head. Just look at what children read nowadays. Mercy. It's all Bam Boom and Zap with guys like Batman and other super heroes. In my day comic books had Little Lulu and Veronica and Archie and Jughead and even detective comics that I loved to read. Dick Tracy was a good one. Of course, Dagwood and Blondie were fun. He was always in trouble."

 She looked at one with four little boys dressed up in costumes she had seen on television. Spiderman was all the thing. She smiled at the boys. She had to admit they were cute, but had no clue about the story inside. Maybe someday she'd have to catchup on the story about that Spider character.

As she looked for a good magazine she chuckled when she saw a magazine that she knew little girls would love. "Look at that little princess, but she looks so sad. I wonder why. Well, I'd better get up to the desk and get directions to the nearest motel and be on my way." But on her way there she decided to go back to the shelf and buy that little princess comic and see what it was all about.

The clerk at the desk told her that there was a motel just a mile down the road right off the highway. It was clean and modestly priced. They even had breakfast in the morning.  Grandma Lu was so pleased. She would be in Texas about one or two o'clock the next day. "I'll get my business done, give the Journal to the lawyer to have it put in the State of Texas Museum for all to enjoy. My family did have an interesting history; not all good, but interesting." She adjusted her hat, got in her car and headed down the highway.

The man driving the motor home turned to the young woman and said, “ You know what you have to do. When she gets to the motel I’ll distract her and you grab the journal. It’s worth big bucks to the right people and will set us up for life.”

They Called Her Mouse Lady!

 Grandma Lu was finally settling down after the mouse attack. She grinned to herself and thought, "Old lady, you let that little bitty mouse get you all upset. Now you have a mission to get done. You have the precious journal with you and you need to get back on the road."

Just as she was pulling out onto the two lane highway her phone rang. It was her husband. "Hey girl. You are the talk of the town at least in the cafe you are. I decided to come over for an ice cream and you and the mouse was all everyone was talking about. Are you alright? They said you almost went in the ditch."

"Yes, I'm alright, but that little thing just kept running across the dash and then he'd hide in the defrost thing and drove me about crazy. Some nice young man got him out for me though so I'm just about to get back on the road."

"No, I want you to stop at a shop there on the county highway. They'd better check out the air filter. That mouse just might have a family in your car. So do that before you get on the big highway, okay?"

Nothing irritated Grandma Lu like a delay or change in her plans. She had her schedule all planned. This was not a fun trip. She was going to Texas and go to her lawyer's office and get that mining company stopped in it's tracks. She hated to delay her trip, but she also did not want to have to deal with another little stowaway in the dash of her car either. "Oh, alright, but I'm not a bit happy about this, Fran. I guess you are right. Mom always said, ' Where you see one mouse, there is a dozen more.' I hope she's wrong this time. I have to get going and get this done so I can get back home. I'll call you later and let you know what they said. Love you!"

Her husband shook his head and grinned. That wife of his kept him on his toes for sure. He finished his ice cream and went back home. He had chores to do and a dog to tend to. She'd be back home soon.

Grandma Lu knew about the shop that her husband was talking about. She knew it was just a few miles up the road. She'd have the car checked out and be done with it. She pulled into the driveway. There were several cars there. She hoped that they would have time to check the car. She walked in the door and a woman at the counter said, "Are you the mouse lady?" Well Grandma Lu straightened her hat and said, "Well for goodness sakes, why did you ask that?" People in the waiting room were grinning and snickering as they waited to hear what she had to say.

"Your husband called and said that you would be stopping. It will be a few minutes, but we can check under the hood and make sure that the mouse didn't do any damage and get you on your way. I hear you are headed for Texas."

A man and woman were sitting in the waiting room and told her that they had come through Texas on the way to Missouri. "Oh that's nice. Are you on vacation? Grandma Lu asked. They told her that they had been touring the country and their motor home had broken down and were at the shop to get it fixed. Grandma Lu noticed that the woman was a bit nervous. When she would start to speak her husband (she presumed) would interrupt her and would take over the conversation. Grandma Lu didn't like that, but was glad she didn't have to put up with that at her house.

 People were coming and going at the shop. They would pay their bills and grumble about how much they were getting charged. She was starting to get annoyed with the wait and continued to watch the woman across the room as she also checked the time on her phone.

"Hmm, I wonder what is going on with that couple. I just feel something isn't right; not at all. The woman has little beads of sweat on her forehead, but it's rather cool in here. Besides that he has beady eyes. Oh well, I'm sure everything is fine.  You just need to but out of this, old woman. You have places to go and a job to get done so you can get on with your life."

After a bit the lady at the desk said, "You had a busy mouse in your car. He completely tore up your air filter. We had to replace that and of course, the labor charge. That will be forty eight dollars." Grandma Lu silently sighed and paid the bill. She was anxious to get on her way. The day was getting late. She was going to have to stop for the night after this delay. When she was getting herself in the car she noticed the couple walk over to a rather large motor home. "Well, hopefully they have a good trip. I'm sure that young lady is alright. I'm just imagining things. I write way too many stories. But I didn't like the look in that man's eyes when he looked at the young woman; like he was controlling her."

As she made her way down the road singing along to the radio she didn't notice that the motor home was a car or two behind her.

There's A Mouse On The Loose!

 Grandma Lu tried unsuccessfully to stop the tears as she drove out of her beloved small town. Here she had made so many friends; both young and old. Marleewood was her dream place. How she loved to tell her stories to the youngsters, but today she was leaving to head to Texas. She had to deal with the legacy of the Dude Ranch which without her intervention would be made into a strip  mining disaster. She was leaving with a red face of embarrassment. She hated the fact that folks now knew about the stepbrother that was in prison for swindling folks out of their hard earned money. "That pretty much ruins my reputation as a good person. My mother always said that you were known by the company that you keep. Well, so much for that. Folks will get over it I suppose." As she rounded the last curve headed out of town she let out a scream of terror! "No! no! no! Get out of here! You are going to cause me to go in the ditch! No you don't. Mercy, mercy! Where can I stop and get you out of here? There's the little old church at the cemetery. I'll stop there and force you out of the car, mister or whatever you are."

Her heart was beating so fast she thought she was going to have a heart attack. He was running up and down on the dash. Then he just sat there staring at her and let out a little squeak. "I just know that you will run up my leg. Eek, where are you now? I know what I'll do. I'll fix you." She got in the back seat and grabbed two of her old sweaters. "There that should fix you!" as she stuffed the last sweater as tight as she could against the windshield. She got back in the car and thought. "This will never do. There is no one at the church but somebody's cow. He didn't seem to care that she was screaming her head off. "It's just plain silly to be scared of a little mouse. I don't care! I have had a really bad day!" She started running around the car and opening the doors trying to get that mouse out of the car.

A little girl said, "Mom, what is wrong with Grandma Lu? She's running around her car and hopping and jumping all around. Is she okay? Should we stop?"

Her mom slowed down, but said, "I think she's alright. Remember we have to get to the dentist's office in just a few minutes. I'll call her when we get you checked in to make sure she's alright, okay?" 

Across the road from the cemetery Kia and Sage were watching the show. "Kia said, "You know, Sage, I thought this trip visiting the grandparents and all was really going to be boring, but this is quite a show! I wonder who will win, the mouse or that old lady."

"I know that lady. She's a good person. We really should go over there and chase that thing out of her car. I don't think she can do it by herself." 

"No, we can't go across the road. The humans get all upset when we do that. We can just keep an eye on her and get help if we think she needs it." So they sat and watched instead of playing ball.

After the dentist's appointment and a wonderful cavity free checkup, their mom treated her little girl and her brother to an ice cream along with a promise to keep up the good work with brushing and flossing. There was another family there too discussing Grandma Lu. "Did you see her drive out of town? She was driving like a crazy woman? Is she sick? What in the world is going on with her? First the new sheriff arrested that man by her house and then she left and didn't even go to her own party. I just don't understand her. Maybe we should pay our bill and go check on her. I wonder where she was going and why she was driving like that."

Two men were sitting down at the end of the counter chuckling when they over heard the conversation about Grandma Lu's driving. "She actually drove down to our shop on the highway and offered us twenty dollars to get it out of the car for her. Of course, we did it for nothing, but she was really upset."

"Get what out of the car for her? asked Grandma Lu's husband. She just left a few minutes ago. What's going on?"

After he understood the situation and laughed, "She does not like mice, that's for sure." Then everyone laughed and shook their heads and some agreed that they would have paid someone to take a mouse out of their car too. Some said, "I would have walked back to town and some said, "You just gotta love her." 

Soon everyone in Grandma Lu's small town knew about the mouse that was on the loose. Where did that mouse go? Two curious people wondered that knew Grandma Lu very well. They were sure there would be a story someday to go along with this latest adventure.

The Journal And It's Legacy Will Remain For All To Protect

 Grandma Lu couldn't look at the crowd that had gathered on the Marleewood parking lot. Marleewood had been closed for so long because of the dreaded virus that had stopped the fun and story time there. This was not the time for her to leave. She couldn't believe that she had been found by a relative she didn't know very well at all. She had no choice but to leave however. She could not allow the destruction of the Double D Ranch because of some money hungry investors insisting on strip mining the silver mine. It was not going to happen.

She was so angry she felt crying, but instead had to somehow explain the age old secret to her husband and children. The trip was going to take quite a long time. She didn't know what she was going to find when she got there, but she would just have to deal with it. Throughout the generations the journal had been kept safe. It was now in her hands and would travel with her to Texas. She was getting elderly and would have to pass the journal on to someone that would love and care for her beloved ranch. Who that would be was yet to be decided. There were many that would just put the ranch on the auction block or like the unknown "want a be rich" folks strip the land. She shook her head and thought, "I will not have it. It is my legacy to not only my family, but to the state of Texas. I will figure it out somehow."

She was packed and in the car headed for Texas within an hour. Her husband was staying at home to care for their home and dog. As she headed down the highway she thought of her many ancestors that had built a home from practically nothing to a beautiful home. She could almost see her great great grandmother tending to her flowers that she had watered with her mother's dish water. The drought and burning heat was so terrible they had little water to spare. "Oh the hardships they endured. I have to do my best to preserve it."

The Double D Ranch will always be a place for good folks to enjoy the outdoors and beautiful horses. As well as the hunting and fishing. Oh the trail rides that old ranch has seen. Yes, I will see to that."

A Stranger Makes A Surprising Speech Part 5

 Grandma Lu was thrilled to see so many people gathering on the parking lot of Marleewood. Marleewood had been closed for quite some time because of the pandemic. As she looked around there were so many people she recognized that had been meeting there and the children! "Oh my goodness they have grown. They are no longer babies anymore; that's for sure." She felt a bit of sadness as she marveled at the children that at one time had sat by her knees as she told them countless stories. Some of the stories were made up ones and some were true. The children didn't care. They just felt comfortable and safe within these old walls. She grinned as she saw girls and boys actually talking to each other as friends. The boys were not pulling pigtails or giving them bugs to look at. She looked behind her and saw her old friend walking away from the side door. "Hmm, wonder what Nancy was doing in the Quiet Room?" She was about to walk over to her to ask her old friend if everything was alright when she was surprised to see a lady
that she hadn't seen in many years. She was from her hometown, but now lived on the west coast. "Oh my goodness. This is like old home week. I wonder if there was a golf tournament this week. That's her passion for sure. Oh look at that dog! So cute."

She started to wave and yell to stop so that they could visit when she saw that Nancy and Ann were having a serious conversation. "Well, I wonder what that's all about. I think I will just get myself over there to see what's wrong. I can't have unhappy people on this beautiful day."

Out of the corner of her eye she saw familiar faces. "Oh my goodness, look who's here! Charlie and her grandma. What a wonderful day. She turned to greet them and visit, but soon she heard a clinking noise. Someone was going to make a speech. Who is that? She looked familiar, but couldn't quite place her. "Oh my. She's a long ways from home. I know who that is. She is Chata's human. What in the world is she doing here I wonder. There's that precious Chata. I'm so surprised to see them here. But why is she making a speech? She doesn't know anyone here and she hasn't seen me in years."

"Hello, everyone. I heard about Marleewood opening it's doors once again. I am so happy for my Great Aunt Lu. She loves Marleewood and the folks in this little town. However, I am here to take her back to Texas where she belongs. The Dude Ranch that she owns needs her there to stop the environmentally dangerous activity that's going on at the silver mine. So everyone eat up all this scrumptious food, but your old friend needs to come with me as soon as she can get packed up."

The talking and squealing of happy youngsters and visiting of neighbors had completely stopped. What did that woman mean? Grandma Lu didn't own a silver mine let alone a ranch in Texas. She had lived here for years. Surely someone knew the truth about this. That someone was not Grandma B. She was just leaving the kitchen when she heard that Grandma Lu her dear friend was actually an owner of the Dude Ranch in Texas that she had been writing about for almost two years? No; surely not. She would have told her about it. Wouldn't she?"

Marlee's Tour Of Marleewood: Part 4

 The sheriff was indeed going to go out to the parking lot to help folks set up tables for food. He even saw a trampoline someone had brought. As he looked out the window he saw Grandma Lu walking towards the back of the building just like he had come in. He thought about turning around and greeting her, but he had a feeling now wasn't the time. She may still be upset with the man he arrested and maybe even him. As he walked down the hallway towards the front entryway he looked at pictures that had been hung. There were even some framed photos of pets that had at one time been heroes not only in Grandma Lu's stories, but had newspaper clippings beside the picture with a rescue story beside the frame.

He stopped to look at a picture of a rather elderly lady and read a newspaper clipping of her picture in it as well. "Hmm, interesting."

"Yes, she certainly was, said Grandma Lu. That picture is one of many that have been taken of her. She had many names; Popcorn Mary, Greyhound Mary as well as Mary Owens, her legal name. She was this little town's self appointed historian. I had the pleasure of meeting her and had her give a very interesting talk to the residents at our nursing home in town; Northwood Hills.  I was working there as an Activity Director many many years ago. She wrote little books and saved things along her many years of living here for others to read and enjoy. She was a celebrity in her own right be being selected to be on the David Letterman show many years ago."

"I wrote a whole series of stories about her. Such an interesting lady for sure. Of course, there have been many interesting folks that have either lived here or were born here. For instance this is a picture of Edward Buchanan the actor. He was born here. Just a bit of trivia for you. He was born the same year as my father; 1903. Here's his picture down here."

He was just a little kid when he and his family moved to Oregon. I liked some of his shows. You know this little town has even had a Pulitzer Prize winner that was born here. Her name was Zoe Akins. She was born here in the 1880's if I'm not mistaken. She got the prize for writing a very good Drama. She wrote plays and poems. Here's a little more trivia for you, Mr. Sheriff. My mother's middle name was Zoe.

 "You see, everyone that has lived here or was born here is important. Of course, to our town they are important, but also to their families and friends. I don't know what's going on out on the parking lot, but it looks like there is food. If you live here long enough you will soon find out that I have a strong liking for sweets and my friend, Grandma B loves coffee. So you can see that along the years there has always been something sweet and a pot of coffee on hand at Marleewood. Speaking of Marlee, have you seen her? You would know her if you saw her. She'd talk your ear off and would either be playing with a puppy or any kind of animal for that matter or baking. Here's a picture of her on my phone. We named this place after her, but this place has it's own history as well. Maybe someday we can visit, but right now let's go outside to see what's going on."

&&&&

Nancy narrowly escaped out the side door without being caught snooping around for Grandma Lu's journal. She just knew there was the secret to the Next Generation series that she was working on in that old book. Nancy had found the journal she was writing about hidden under the window seat cushion. As soon as she could she was going to talk to her old friend about it. Why was she hiding it in the first place? She always was telling stories about her ancestors. Do good friends have secrets from each other? "It will have to wait. I hear clinking of glasses. Is someone making a speech? I have to get over there."

Picture rights of Mary Owens in the lower part of the  collage belong to Argus Leader Dark Room 1983

Marlee's Tour of Marleewood: Part 3

 "It looks like to me that the Quiet Room is going to be busy for awhile. When the sign is up we don't go in. That's just being polite, you know." The sheriff smiled and nodded his head. When Marlee took his hand he said, "Where are we going now?" Marlee grinned and said, "Well, a long time ago we all got invitations to a special party at the library here in town. It said that we should all get dressed up and be there at a certain time. We had to call the librarian and tell her if we were going to be there or not so she could be sure she had enough treats as well as chairs and tables set up. That was such a fun time."

This door that is closed now once was the beauty shop. My mom and my Grandma B are beauty operators and we had other ladies come in too and do everyone's hair. Oh it was such fun. Grandma Lu told us such funny stories about some terrible times for her at the beauty shops she went too. One time they turned her hair green. Well anyway, now the beauty shop is closed.  I think Grandma Lu has a lot of pictures of that time. Do you want to hear who was the speaker at the library? You will never guess in a million years.!

"Well, I can't guess because I'm new here. Who was the speaker?"

Grandma Lu! She was all dressed up like a pirate. She told us all kinds of neat things about pirates. Some things aren't even true!" She laughed as she told the nice man about the fun time that they had that day and told him that Grandma Lu even wrote a story about her being a castaway on a pirate ship and that she got kidnapped and was a princess!

The new sheriff was beginning to wonder about the older woman that cried when he arrested the man that was harassing her husband and her.

Marlee said it was time for her to go check on people that were cooking in the front and back kitchens, but that he could make himself at home if would like. He could also go outside and help the grownups set up tables and chairs. It was up to him.

He looked outside was amazed. The parking lot no longer looked like one. It was filled with outside toys and tables and chairs. People were still arriving. He decided he would go outside to see if he could be of help.

&&&&

Nancy had left B to deal with Grandma Lu and her sad mood. She quickly walked down the street and went through the side door. She was in luck! The Quiet Room was empty. She put the Do Not Disturb sign on the door knob and closed the door. She just knew that Grandma Lu had that journal. It was not make believe. She knew that everything in it was a diary that had been written by Grandma Lu's ancestors. She just knew it. She went through the desk drawers; nothing. She quickly went through the book shelves thinking that her old friend had hidden it in place sight with the other books; nothing. She looked at the old soft rocker and the magazine rack beside it. "I'm sure it's in here somewhere. She took all the magazines out and did not find the journal. Just as she was going to leave she looked at the window seat and wondered if it opened for storage. She tried to open it and found it was very heavy. She found all of Grandma Lu's photo books from years ago. She scanned through them and smiled. All the little children that had been coming to Marleewood for years and years, but no journal. She took ahold of the padded cushion and felt something hard other than the wood on the under side. "Hmm, what's this, Miss Lu? Oh you are good for an old woman. You can hide, but I can find. She saw the little slit in the thick paper that hid the old old journal. "Ahh ha! Now I either have to read this, or hide it and take it home with me. Neither idea is a good one. I hear Marlee outside the door. I'm going to leave this where it is, but when I can I'm going to see what secrets my dear friend is hiding. If I know Lu hiding this journal means there is something really important in there. It's not good to take it because that would be stealing so I am going to ask her today where the journal is. Maybe she will tell me what's in it. Yes, that's what I'll do."

Marleewood Tour Part 2: Rules Of Marleewood And Bon Bon

 Left alone the sheriff slowly walked through the door into a large room. It had flowered wallpaper on the wall like he had seen years ago at an old relative's home. He smiled when he saw an old rocking chair. "Mom would like this place. It's so peaceful and comfortable looking. He touched the handmade afghan that covered the back and smiled. She would like this also." He sat down in the chair and wondered how many people had sat here and whose it was. He was soon to find out.

"You are sitting in my chair, young man. You can give my friends tickets and put my stepbrother in jail, but you cannot sit in my chair!"

 The sheriff jumped up so fast he almost fell down at the feet of the older lady that he had seen crying earlier in the day. "This has to be Grandma Lu. The Grandma Lu who it seems the whole town loves. "Oh I am so very sorry. I didn't know. You know your friend was speeding. You don't want people to break the law do you? And I'm so sorry I made you cry, but that man you say is your step brother was breaking parole. There was nothing else I could do." Then the strangest thing happened. Grandma Lu started to laugh and laugh some more.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You are new to our little town, but this chair has a story I need to tell you. Sit! Not in my chair, but that one. It's close enough that you can hear me tell you the story of this chair." She waited until the young man sat in the chair closest to her. "You see this chair wasn't always mine. It used to belong to my mother-in-law and before that it either belonged to her father or her grandfather. It's history is a bit blurry before it was hers. You see she was one hundred three years old when she also yelled at me for sitting in this very chair!" The officer was amused as he watched the older woman finger the soft blanket that covered the chair. He listened to the story of the chair and shook his head as he listened. He was beginning to see why folks loved her. When Grandma Lu stopped talking for awhile he thought it might be a good time to ask some questions. "Would you  mind if I asked who some of these pictures are of and why they are important to Marleewood? There are quite a few of them.

"Of course not. Which one would you like to know about? Oh that one is Bonnie. She was my first cousin, but everyone called her Bon Bon. She was a character for sure. She came to visit Marleewood one time and had heard some local gossip about there being tunnels under Marleewood and almost got me killed!" She started laughing so hard she started to choke. He got out of his chair and said, "Grandma Lu are you alright? Do you need some water?" He watched as the older lady caught her breath and said, "No. I'm fine. Memories of her either make me laugh or cry. She is gone now, but she will never be forgotten." She got up and walked over to the Lost and Found Closet and said it all started here. Right here in this closet we set up a table with mittens, hats, gloves you name it that people would leave after being here for stories or cooking or just enjoying the Quiet Room over there. What she did was push against the wall and it opened! Yes it did. She insisted that we go investigate to see if in fact there were tunnels. Well I got down there, but she got stuck in the door way. It seemed like forever before we got rescued. Oh those were the days, however, every day with Bonnie was an adventure even when we were children out on the farm..."

Just as the sheriff was about to ask if the rumors were true they heard a whirring sound coming from the front kitchen. They got up and walked through the door only to find that Add was making chocolate chip cookies for the party. She was doing such a good job!

From the kitchen window the sheriff could see people still coming to Marleewood. It looked like a brother and sister were riding their bikes and a mom with four little boys were just arriving.

Marlee came in and said, "Well, officer. What do you think of Marleewood? I hope you like it because the people here do and you are invited to visit Marleewood any time that it is open. Right now we are having a Spring party. We can call it a Welcome to Marleewood party for you too. Okay? So do you have any real clothes? I have a police uniform. It's probably too small for me now because I'm growing up. Grandma Lu, do you have a picture of me in my police uniform in your picture book? Let's look quick before everybody gets here. Okay?"

The three of them went back to the room everyone called the Quiet Room, but there was a problem. There was a Do Not Disturb sign on the door. Marlee looked at the Sheriff and said, "There is one rule you must know. When the sign is on the door, you cannot go in. It's a room that is really important to all of us. Sometimes you just need to be quiet and think or look out the window or even take what my Grandma B calls a power nap. So we will look for it later. Grandma Lu do you want to keep showing him around until it's time to eat? Whitlee and I  have to finish up in the kitchen. Thanks. I'm so happy you aren't sad now."

Marlee Gives The New Sheriff A Tour Of Marleewood Part#1

 The new sheriff sat in his car watching the people that lived in the small town. There were a lot of people including children walking towards the big building that they called Marleewood. There were a few that walked by his car towards the house where the older lady lived. They called her Grandma Lu. She had been so upset when he had arrested the man that morning. She had run into her house crying. He had felt terrible about that. He noticed that a woman had pulled up to the driveway and ran to the backdoor and knocked. "Hmm, she didn't wait for someone to come to the door. She just walked right in. That's not right.. Maybe I should go check that out. It is a small town though. I'm used to city ways. Maybe it will be okay; probably is a friend of hers. Still..."

He jumped when he heard someone knocking on his window. "Hi! What can I do for you? You want me to go to Marleewood? Well, alright. Is everything okay? Well, that's nice of you. Sure I would like a tour. "You know, I had heard that place was haunted. Evidently that is a rumor that's not to be believed", he chuckled. He got out of the car and walked beside the woman that had invited him to what was looking like a big deal across the street. He noticed that people were setting up tables and bringing outdoor furniture. The lady said, "Go ahead and go in the backdoor. Marlee is expecting you." Then she turned and walked back down the street towards Grandma Lu's house.

The sheriff knocked on the door and a young lady's voice said, "Come on in. We've been expecting you. Welcome to Marleewood"

The sheriff smiled as he watched a young girl doing the finishing touches to a homemade cheesecake. He hadn't seen anything like that since his mother made them. "Hello, I'm the new sheriff in town. A lady told me that I should come in and take a tour of this place." The girl smiled and said, "I know. I'm Marlee. My Grandma B and Grandma Lu named this place after me. It's a place where friends come and listen to stories. There are many rooms here. Each of them serve a purpose for the people here in this town. Do you want to see? I'm finished here now for awhile."

The sheriff smiled and said, "Sure. I'd love to see this place. It sounds wonderful." Marlee smiled and said, "It is. First off. This is the back kitchen. See all of the tables? Sometimes it was filled with people that just wanted to come and rest and have a cup of coffee. Actually Grandma Lu and I wrote a book right here at that table. Propunzel!  It was a good one."

 My Grandma B made sure there was always a fresh pot of coffee on. There's another kitchen too. It's where I had my very first cooking school when I was just a little girl." The sheriff smiled at that because this little girl couldn't be much more than five or six. Marlee continued. "It was a really big deal. We were on television and everything. We had trouble at first because we tried to get too big too fast. We were always running out of snacks. There was a little boy that lived far away that even sent us his allowance to help us buy snacks."

"I'm sorry to say that I was always the one that liked to spend money. So my grandma and Grandma Lu had a meeting and decided that I needed some help running this place. So I hired Charlie. She was in charge of finances. We didn't always get along. I thought that the more was better as far as ordering things, but she usually knew what was best. I did learn a lot from her. I miss her."

"What did you order? asked the sheriff. "Oh, we had a gift shop. Sorry. It's been closed for a long time and you are new here. Yes, I liked to order things. I even had my own computer when I was little."

"This place is really big, but I do see a lot of closed doors. Is Marleewood not open anymore?"

"It hasn't been open until today. When people started getting sick from a disease called Covid, we decided to close the doors because we didn't want people getting sick from each other. It was a bad disease and made people really sick. We had a sign on the highway coming into town because Marleewood used to be a tourist attraction for some reason."

"I'm sorry, but I have to go check on my cheesecake. You can make yourself at home. I'll be back in just a few minutes and show you around, Okay?"

&&&

Nancy and Grandma B were having a tough time convincing Grandma Lu to quit feeling sorry for herself and join them at Marleewood. "Come on, Lu. It's time to get over it! K.R. is back in jail and out of your life for good. I'll have to hand it to that new sheriff. He knew what he was doing."

Nancy patted her old friend on the back and said, "Hey he gave me a speeding ticket on the way over here and I didn't even get mad at him! He was right. But B is right too. You need to get over to Marleewood and forget all of this. We will chat after bit, okay? I really need to talk to you about you know, the journal... I saw Fran walking over there. He always knows when there's food, she laughed. Come on. Yes! Good for you. You can find time to finish your story. Good grief,  your friends are waiting to eat until you get there. Come!"